Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant announced via Instagram that he underwent surgery to repair his right Achilles, which he ruptured in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
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A portion of Durant’s caption read, “My road back starts now! I got my family and my loved ones by my side and we truly appreciate all the messages and support people have sent our way.”
Durant had already scored 11 points in 11 minutes of Game 5 and helped Golden State to an early lead on the road, but went down as he planted his right foot to drive to the basket. In Durant’s absence, Steph Curry and the rest of the Warriors held off a Raptors charge to win the game, 106-105, and extend the series to a sixth game. The Warriors still trail the Raptors three games to two in their quest for a fourth championship in five years, and third in a row.
Durant’s mother, Wanda Durant, said that God’s love would help her family get through this trying time.
“Emotionally, it’s a little tough for him,” Wanda said on “Good Morning America.” “…But with the love of our faith and our God and our family, we’re going to be OK.”
FULL INTERVIEW: @mamadurant opens up about son @KDTrey5's dramatic injury during Game 5 of the #NBAFinals and his future in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/B1ZE5nDErl
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 12, 2019
She closed the interview by thanking all the fans who have supported her son and her family over the past few years, when a lot of critics and fans have been harsh toward Kevin. She also thanked Jesus.
“To the fans all over the world who have sent us their prayers, have contacted me over my social media, sent Kevin responses, I’m just so grateful and our family is so thankful,” Wanda said. “We’re thankful for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who keeps us and holds us. And for that we have complete gratitude.”
Throughout his playing career, Durant has also spoken of his faith in Jesus.
“In the Bible, the Lord exalts humility and that’s one thing I try to be all the time,” Durant said in the Spring 2011 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine. “I’ve just got to be thankful to the Lord for the gifts He’s given me. My gift back to Him is to always be humble and to always try to work as hard as I can.”
Durant said his understanding of who God is deepened as he read the Bible, attended chapel before games and received guidance from pastors like Carl Lentz, who baptized Durant in 2013.
“I used to feel like if I did something wrong, I would go to hell,” Durant said on GodReports.com. “Now, I believe God’s love for me, the sacrificial death of Jesus for my sins and His grace, not my good works, are what saves me.”
Now, Durant faces possibly the most difficult task of his basketball career: a steep uphill road to recovery from his torn Achilles. Game 5 was supposed to be Durant’s triumphant return from a calf injury he suffered in the Western Conference semifinals against Houston on May 8. Now, he is expected to be out 9-12 months.
Meanwhile, the Raptors have another opportunity to close out the hobbled defending champions in Game 6 on Thursday, and bring their first ever NBA championship to Toronto. The game at Oakland’s Oracle Arena is set to tip at 9 p.m. ET.
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